Unexpected
by YaoiCookie
Summary: He can't control his sand, his hunger has expanded and his emotions were far closer to the surface then they'd ever been; Gaara had the nagging thought that Shukaku was behind it. Warning: Not an action filled adventure. NaruGaa LeeSaku Mpreg
1. Chapter 1

First fic!** I just hope that you will all like it! **

**Warnings: **_**This story is good for a light hearted read with hardly any true fights. This is a romance, not a drama. Feel free to read; Don't blame me if your eyes burn, though. **_**Mpreg, M/M relations, OoCness, AR-By the way, Naruto is 17 and Gaara is 16-**

**Pairings: NaruGaa/GaaNaru, Lee/Sakura**

**Disclaimer: Not mine, not mine! If it was, that'd be fine! Who's it is? I don't know. I think the book says **_**Kishimoto**_**.**

**_NOTICE:_** This fic has been shortened a bit and corrected as it was -and still is- utter crap. How could you people allow me to write such garbage?? -Cries in shame- In my defense, I was young when I wrote this, and you people kept encouraging me. SHAME ON YOU! However, I've taken out the cliché obsessive Itachi and Sasuke, the cliché nice Bijuus, the cliché villagers liking Naruto for his looks, the cliché character bashings (that's a lot of cliché-ing), and added a simple romance/general fic that I'm sure I can complete after falling out of love with what once was a great fandom.

**Chapter**: Revised.

* * *

**Unexpected**

He woke with a grimace and a slight trace of fear. The first thought that went through his head was, _I woke up_. After all, it's not everyday the Shukaku holder got to sleep. He looked around him, expecting to see ruins and dead people, but was instead greeted with the pleasant sight of a tan, blonde headed boy in a towel.

"Morning Gaara," he said.

"Naruto," Gaara responded with a slight nod.

"Sleep well?" Naruto questioned with amusement sprinkling his voice. He walked toward his dresser and dropped his towel on the way, revealing a nicely shaped, firm rear. Gaara grunted, though as an answer or to thank God for the view, we'll never know. "I have a mission to do today," the blonde stated, "so I have to leave early." Gaara looked up at him and licked his slightly chapped lips.

"One more time?" He whispered, drawing Naruto's eyes to him. The boy smiled, his eyes dancing with the action.

"You're going to make me late again, aren't you?"

The sun was high in the sky, covering Konoha like a blanket and keeping it warm. The town was bustling about with an air of friendliness, that is, until a major disturbance came from the coffee shop on a corner.

"Sabaku Kyuu."

"Please! Let me go! I didn't mean to!" A woman shouted while being suspended into midair and enclosed in a case of sand.

"Gaara! Please, stop it!" A blonde haired kunoichi with four spiky ponytails shouted.

"No."

"Gaara!" Another male with make up on his face and a black suit on shouted. "If you kill her, we won't be able to come back to the village!" Gaara turned his icy green eyes toward the crowd that had gathered around the shop. He glared. "Problem?" The crowd quickly dispersed with a speed that rivaled a demon's. _How annoying_, he thought, truly wondering why he even bothered to get up. Without Naruto around, the town was boring and bleak. With a sigh, he turned his attention to the woman he held in sand, trying to recall why he held her in the first place. Oh, that's right. She spilled his drink.

"Sabaku Sou-"

"Gaara!" The two teens from earlier shouted. Gaara looked at them.

"Sabaku Sou-"

"Please Gaara!" The girl shouted again. Gaara smirked in his mind; He was finding the situation very amusing. Turning his attention back to the woman, he wondered what Naruto would do in this situation. A sigh nearly escaped his lips as he realized that the prankster was rubbing off on him…in more ways than one.

"Fine." The word was said in clear amusement as he allowed the woman to drop. "However, I want free service the next time I come here, understand?" She nodded, her eyes wide. "And the next time?" Another nod was sent his way, making his mental grin extend to his face. "And the next time?" She nodded. "And the next time?" Another nod. Temari and Kankuro shared a disbelieving look with each other. "And the next time? And the…?"

"I can't believe you did that!" Naruto howled, laughing after listening to the story of Gaara's day. The redhead Jinchuuriki had managed to get a lifetime of free service at a coffee shop in Konoha; He wouldn't leave until they gave it to him. The woman he'd nearly squashed had been muttering in tears the whole time he'd been explaining things to her pale boss. He made a mental note to check if she quit the next day.

"You're a bad influence on me, Naruto," Gaara muttered, his lips twitching as the blonde continued to laugh. Two loud thumps on the balcony interrupted them and cut off the laughter abruptly.

"Who's there?" Naruto called, his hands straying to his kunai.

"Gaara?" A female voice questioned. The blonde boy looked toward his redheaded partner and raised his eyebrows in question. Gaara sighed. "Come in, Temari, Kankuro." Naruto's balcony door opened and in stepped the two teens from the coffee shop. "What?" Gaara gave them a sullen glance, already knowing what they wanted.

"Gaara," Kankuro started, "we're needed at the village."

"A mission…" Gaara sighed again. He knew it.

"Undercover," Temari joined in. "It'll take at least three months."

"Three months??" Naruto wailed. "What am I gonna do for three months without my pet??"

"Pet?" Temari questioned, looking back and forth between the two with an amused glint in her eyes. Kankuro snickered, though the thought of his brother like that...his snicker abruptly vanished and he glared daggers at the pouting blonde.

"Hush," Gaara stated quietly, effectively cutting off all noises that were in the room. He stood up and quietly padded over to Naruto, placing a quick, chaste kiss on his lips. "You'll figure out something to do. Besides, it'll only be three months; you've left for longer before. Just don't cheat on me while I'm away or I'll kill your lover, then chop _it_ off and feed it to you." Unsurprisingly, Gaara said that with a straight face.

"But, Gaara," Naruto whined, his eyes wide. "Can't we get _one. More. Hour. Alone?" . _Gaara stared into his eyes and squirmed, knowing that the blonde knew what that look did to him. He turned and glared at his family after a brief inner debate. "Out." And they didn't need to hear another word for they were already out the door.

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**Ugh, such crap; Believe me, it was even worse than this before. -shudders- Oh…and thank you all for reviewing. Next time, review a bit more honestly? Words may hurt, but believe me when I say I'd get over it.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the reviews!**

**Chapter**: Revised.

* * *

It had only been ten days since Gaara left for his mission and everything already seemed empty and bleak. Naruto stared around his apartment and scowled. _It's too quiet in here, _he thought as he left. Without Gaara, time seemed to go by at a snail's pace for him. The slightest things caused him to remember his partner and silence was suddenly too loud; something Naruto found funny as Gaara wasn't much of a chatter box. Walking into the village quickly became a chore as he stared around and noticed that people were staring at him and whispering. He sighed, wondering if he would ever be able to escape the images people of Konoha viewed him as. He then wondered if Iruka was free…

* * *

Sabaku no Gaara was a very fearsome person. He could make a man soil himself with just a glare. He could make ice melt just by glancing at it. He could make a proud man of royal decent give him a piggy back ride by telling him he was tired. But he could not, for the life of him, figure out why he was throwing up at seven in the morning. Nor could he figure out why Shukaku decided to start laughing at him and picking at him either.

_**Look at you; Silly boy! This is what you get for not including me in your activities! **_Shukaku roared in his head.

_What are you talking about?_ Gaara questioned back, only making Shukaku laugh harder.

_**Let's just say… You're sick, but don't worry! I'll make sure no one destroys your sickness! I'll make sure you'll see it through full term! So that way, you can experience all the joys and, most importantly, pains of… Sickness… Ah ha ha ha ha ha!**_

_What? _Gaara questioned, but Shukaku was already out of his head. He didn't have time to question him again for another wave of nausea hit him like a ton of bricks. He silently cursed the demon, wondering why it was acting crazier than usual. The thought left his head as his stomach clenched and he focused on the toilet. The sounds of sickness echoed through the house, rousing Temari and Kankuro who groggily followed the noise to the bathroom. The two noticed each other half way there, their eyes widening as they realized that it wasn't who they thought it was in the restroom, and they quickly hurried to find their little brother leaned over the toilet, puking his guts up. A shocked moment of silence was shared between them, before Temari squatted down next to the now dry heaving teen and hesitantly moved his hair.

"Gaara?" She questioned softly. Gaara looked up at her and her heart clenched. He didn't notice that his face was so expressive, for she knew he would have never turned to her. His eyes were wide and his face confused, his lips open as he panted for breath. For a moment, he looked like a lost child looking for his mother. He looked like a boy, _the _boy, that she had lost so long ago. She almost expected him to call her 'Tema' again, just like he use to. "Gaara?" She spoke again. "Are you alright?" He nodded after a moment, then flushed the toilet as he slowly got up and went to the sink. Temari looked over towards Kankuro to see that his head was turned. He saw Gaara's face, too, and the rush of emotions and memories that washed over him was the same as Temari's.

_Sick? _The red head thought, oblivious to the others in the room. _What does he mean, I'm sick? Damn it, why'd did it have to be today? _He stared at his reflection, taking in the henge before him. The man staring back looked like any other healthy teen with brown eyes and black hair. The sight was quite disgusting, really. Although, with the henged Temari and Kankuro behind him, they truly did look like a family. It was…rather sweet.

He gagged.

The sound made the others jump as he leaned over the sink to clear the taste of bile from his mouth. He stood back up when he was sure the blush was off of his cheeks. Seriously, what was wrong with him? First, vomiting, then thoughts of the past? It was like he was being cursed by something. Discreetly, he sent a glare down at his stomach, deciding to blame the thoughts on Shukaku as he forced them from his mind. His family was not a family any longer.

"Kankuro, Temari," he cleared his throat as the words came out raw, watching as the two winced in the mirror. "You two go out and get started on the mission. I'll join you in a bit." Temari opened her mouth, before closing it and nodding her head. She left the room quickly after, leaving Kankuro alone with him.

"Listen, Gaara," the older boy scratched his cheek. "If you ever want to…or you're, you know…having problems and…you need someone…" Gaara stared at the boy, trying to show nothing more than annoyance, though his eyes betrayed how touched his was by the words. Blushing, Kankuro bowed out of the bathroom, quite pleased with himself. The redhead sighed upon his exit, snatching up a yellow toothbrush that he'd gotten just to remind him of who he'd always missed the most.

"Sorry, Naruto," he gave a rueful smile to his named toothbrush. "I know you've been wanting to get into my mouth for a while, but I doubt you'll enjoy this." He chuckled, wondering what Naruto would say if he heard him, then cut off as he wondered if he really chuckled at all. "I'm going insane without you," he muttered, staring at his toothbrush again.

"Itsu, Rin, I'm leaving!" Kankuro's voice trailed through the hotel, their codenames on his lips.

"Bye, Hanshin!" Temari stated, giggling as she got into character. Gaara let the sounds wash over him as he mentally prepared to be bored for three months, lethargically brushing his teeth all the while.

"Goodbye, Hanshin." With a blink of his eyes, Gaara gave one last thought to his partner before he immersed himself into his role of Itsu Megami. _I hope he found something to do._

In Konoha, a once wooded area was being demolished by the blonde haired boy known as Naruto. The Jinchuuriki heaved in a big breath of air as he thought about Gaara, moping at the temporary lost of a lover and a friend. Trying to force himself to create a new jutsu wasn't as exciting as he thought it would be. _Bored, bored. Ain't this great? No one with me to appreciate. _Oh great. Now he was rhyming internally. With a sigh, he decided to go get some ramen.


	3. Chapter 3

**Just wanted to say thanks for my reviews! **

**Chapter**: Revised.

* * *

Gates loomed before them. The relief it brought to those standing outside of it was truly immense. "Oh man! It's so good to be back home. I just can't wait to get something to eat!" Kankuro shouted, excited to be in his own skin again. "That was the longest three months of my life!" Temari looked over to him.

"You're just over exaggerating, Kankuro," she stated irritably. Kankuro glared at her.

"Well, if _someone_ hadn't of eaten so much of our food, I wouldn't be complaining right now…" He turned his head to glare at Gaara. The redhead's cheeks were definitely filling out with the excess amount of food he'd eaten over the last three months. A concern glint lingered in Kankuro's eyes as the Jinchuuriki bowed his head, his shoulders shaking. Temari swallowed nervously as tears started down his chubby face, biting her lips. The sight was nothing new to the family, who found themselves growing closer during the mission as Gaara seemed to get worse and worse. "Hey, I'm sorry," Kankuro muttered awkwardly. "I didn't mean anything by-"

"It's just how he shows his concern, Gaara," Temari jumped in, putting a hand on her brother's shoulder. "He's worried about you; we both are." The redhead said nothing, merely wiping the tears from his face in mortification.

"I'm fine," he snapped, knowing he was anything but. He tried to force his sand to cover his face, but it denied him, Shukaku chuckling as he cut off the connection. The redhead felt bare without the ability to cover his expressions, hating that he was so exposed. He was happy that his family was slowly mending together, but he didn't want them to know him so intimately yet.

"Gaara? Gaara?!" Temari waved her hands in his face, her face the picture of concern as he seemed to be in his own world.

"I wish to go to Naruto now," he stated suddenly, making the two jump. The older siblings shared a glance before Kankuro reluctantly shook his head, making Temari sigh.

"I think we need to visit the Hokage first." The two grabbed at his arms as he began to protest, his sand kicking up a weak fight before it died down beneath Shukaku's control. Temari chuckled silently, remembering the first time she'd supported the youngest member of her family in such a way. "Kind of reminds me of the Chuunin Exams," she stated aloud as Kankuro sent her a questioning look.

"True," he admitted fondly, "but this time, we're on the right side." They fell into an easy silence as they guided their brother through the village, nodding to familiar faces along the way. When they finally reached the Hokage's tower they entered to find Tsunade glaring at a stack of paperwork with a look of pure loathing on her face. She cleared the look immediately as she noticed she had guest, smiling at them with relief in her eyes.

"Well, well, look who decided to grace me with their presences." She cast a concerned eye at Gaara as she noticed the tear tracks on his face. Over the years she had taken a shine to the Shukaku holder after seeing how happy he made her little brother, Naruto, having officially adopted the boy in her heart after he refused to allow her to adobt him on file. "Did something happen?"

"We're not really sure," Kankuro admitted, gently pushing Gaara forward. "Shortly after going on our trip, Gaara started getting sick." Tsunade's brows rose in shock as she realized that his ever protective sand hadn't sprung up to protect his back.

"He's also become quite emotional," Temari admitted, concern eating her. "It's like…back then, but different somehow." She averted her eyes away from Gaara's slumped form. "He breaks at the smallest things and we have to walk on glass around him some days. It wasn't that bad in the beginning, but it's been getting worse."

"Say no more," Tsunade held up a hand, her face puzzled. "I'm willing to give a free check up if Gaara will allow me?" The redhead looked up at her then, his eyes a bit glassy.

"Can I see Naruto?"

"I'll send someone to get him as we're doing the check up," Tsunade promised him, worrying her bottom lip. The last thing she needed was a worried blonde on her hands.

"Do we need to go to the hospital?" Temari wondered.

"No no, we'll do it now. Shizune!" After a moment, her young assistant entered the room with a questioning look. "Can you get me Naruto? He should be at Ichiraku's this time of day." As Shizune started off to do as told, Tsunade turned her attention to Gaara and started a simple check up, her hands lighting with chakra as she did so. "Any insight into your recent changes, Gaara?"

"Shukaku," he stated dryly, feeling his eyes watering once more much to his chagrin. "He said something weird to me, about having a sickness that he wasn't willing to heal. Ever since then, he's been cutting off my connection to the sand." It was obvious that he was distressed over it; losing your biggest defense could do that to you. Tsunade frowned, wondering if the causes of the illness were caused by self induced worry. The scan revealed nothing but the customary sense of a Jinchuuriki; the presence of two lives, much like Naruto's own scans. The only difference was the amount of chakra surrounding his midriff, which threw the scan off a bit. Tsunade's frown deepened.

"Well, much like Naruto, you show signs of having two lives within you; Yourself and Shukaku. However, I believe your seal is interfering with the scan, making it impossible to see what's wrong. I think I can do a bit of guess work though." She sent a smile to Gaara as he nodded. "I think you're letting your own insecurities cause you sickness. The phrase worried sick isn't just a phrase, after all. This is the first time you've been without your sand, your greatest defense, and you're worried about something happening." Gaara nodded to that, the feelings of hopelessness rendering him nearly catatonic some days. He nodded absently as she rattled off a few more diagnostics and reassurances, not really believing her despite how much he wished to. Her words abruptly faded away as warmth invaded him, drawn in by the arms suddenly hugging his waist.

"Naruto," he breathed, the barest hint of a smile and utter relief appearing on his face as he squeezed the blonde's arms, breaking down into tears though he couldn't explain why. He had the nagging thought that Shukaku was behind it, as his laughter seemed rather ominous during Tsunade's little speech.

"What's wrong, Gaara?" Naruto wondered, his blue eyes wide in concern as the redhead collapsed in his arms. He looked to Tsunade for help, but she merely shook her head, her own eyes staring at the two in concern.

"Take him home, Naruto," she ordered firmly. The blonde nodded, cradling his partner in his arms and marveling at the lack of a struggle. As the two left, Kankuro and Temari watched them, the concern eating at them in waves.

"Lady Hokage?" The blonde turned towards Kankuro, her brow raised. "Are you sure he's alright?"

"As I said, I was merely taking a guess." She sighed, digging in her drawer for her sake. "I'm no Seal Master by any means. If Jiraiya were here," her lips trembled uncomfortably. "At any rate, I know enough to see that his seal is…unstable and unsuitable, but that's all I really know. Also, I'm not a Jinchuuriki expert, so I mainly based my results on comparison between Gaara and Naruto." She silenced as she found her sake and put it to her lips, not even caring what image she portrayed. "Keep an eye on him," she stated after a moment, gently sitting her sake on her desk. "If anything were to happen to him…"

"We understand, Lady Hokage," Temari nodded to her. "We'd have watched him regardless." A genuine smile lit Tsunade's lips.

"It's great to see a family together." The two siblings blushed before bowing out, leaving her to her thoughts. "Family…" She muttered, staring down at her hands. It was a long time before she realized they were too blurry to see.

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**Wow. So different from the first one. O.o**


	4. Chapter 4

**Gaara-ninja-hottie: You flamed me for something in this fic before, I think it was the pairing and the mpreg. You should have flamed me for my lack of planning and critiqued me to help me get better. Shame on you! You are what I like to call:**

**The 2-D Flamer.**

**I hope you have grown since then, however; I really, truly do.**

**Chapter**: Revised.

* * *

Gaara wondered when he had fallen asleep. He also wondered why he was able to constantly sleep. Groggily, he sat up from a bed, casting his eyes around the familiar sight of Naruto's apartment. Plants clogging up the corners, pictures dancing about the apartment, a headband with a scratch…He let a displeased scowl grace his lips.

"Don't do that." Naruto's voice dragged his attention beside him, where said blonde was staring up at him with a wan smile on his face. "Does everything about Sasuke make you frown?"

"He's not what I like to wake up to," Gaara admitted dryly, his voice scratchy. He gave an uncomfortable shift, allowing Naruto's fingers to run across his face in question.

"You okay?" The words were laced with concern. The redhead said nothing, merely shifting to snuggle into the blonde's side. Was he okay? Aside from the few days of sickness every week, the cravings for food at all hours, the slight weight gain and the loss of his sand, he felt…normal. Too normal. Perhaps that was why he felt such confusion? Despite having access to his chakra, it wasn't as much as he was used to. Not to mention he couldn't even control his sand any longer; the Shukaku had cut off that connection. "Gaara?" The concern in the voice touched him deeply.

"I don't know, Naruto," he conceded after a moment. "I've never felt like this before." He shrugged, turning away from the emotion on the Konoha Nin's face. "It's strange. I can't control my sand, my emotions, not even what I wish to eat…" He shook his head and stared up at Naruto's wall, his mood vanishing instantly as a picture of Naruto's team greeted his view.

"Stop doing that," Naruto growled, turning the redhead back towards himself.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Gaara frowned.

"You're looking for a reason to be upset with me." The annoyance in the words upset the younger teen, though he silently admitted that to be true. "If you don't want to look at Sasuke, stop staring at my walls."

"If you want me to stop looking for a reason to be upset," Gaara countered, "then remove his pictures from your walls." The blonde sighed in protest as his partner stood, getting up from the warmth of his bed.

"Don't do this now, Gaara." He sat up, his hand going to caress his forehead. "I'm worried about you." Gaara ignored him, snidely bumping a few pictures off the walls as he walked to the bathroom. It was petty; something that he had wanted to do since he'd first came to the apartment, yet something he would have never indulged himself to do before. "Real mature!" Naruto's agitated voice rang through the house. "Blame it on Sasuke, why don't you??"

"Someone has to," he countered back. "Considering he can do no wrong to everyone else around here." He slammed the bathroom door on a gaping face, leaning back against the door once alone. After a moment, he opened his eyes, staring at his reflection in the mirror with a look of disbelief on his face. Had he really just acted that childish?

"Gaara?" Naruto knocked on the door, pleading. "Stop this. No more arguing, at least for today, alright?" The blonde leaned against the door and sighed. "It's been three months since I've had you in here…I've missed you." Silence descended between them, before Gaara sighed and opened the door, letting Naruto slump into his arms.

"Look at us," the Sand Nin mused. "Aren't we on opposite sides? I thought you were the emotional one." Naruto gave him a smile, snagging his lips in a chaste kiss.

"Less talk, more starting the day."

Gaara yawned, feigning nonchalance though a heady, pleased feeling warmed him from his toes up. There was a box in front of him, one full of pictures and items that was getting fuller by the second. Naruto moved fluently through the house, dropping items into the box every time he went passed. The house was starting to look surprisingly bare, but neither teen decided to pay much mind to it.

"Okay," Naruto mused after a moment. "That's everything I have that belonged and reminds me of Sasuke. Now all we have to do is wait for-"

"Present!" The chipper voice of Sakura cut into the home. The pink haired kunoichi sent a cheery greeting to the two, a box in her hands as she opened the door to the balcony. "I hope you don't mind, but I asked Lee to come with me."

"Not a problem, Sakura!" Naruto hugged the girl warmly, sending a smile to Rock Lee as he bashfully entered the home, quite different from his usual entrances. Inside of his hands was another box, one that Sakura sheepishly shrugged to.

"I had a lot of stuff about Sasuke." The blonde shook his head, instead turning to Lee and grasping him a hug.

"How's it going, Lee?" The bug-eyed boy shrugged, a smile dancing across his lips. Ever since Naruto had talked Sakura into giving the love struck boy a chance, he had calmed down on the hyperactive behavior that his beloved couldn't stand. The two had been dating for little under a year.

"I don't recall a day that I haven't been happy since being joined with my soul mate!" The earnest proclamation received a blush from Sakura, making Naruto's lips twitch. "Good afternoon, Gaara," Lee turned to the quiet boy as he stood to take the box from Sakura's hands.

"Lee, Haruno," the redhead nodded politely. With the boxes laid out on the floor and everyone seated beside them, Naruto cleared his throat.

"Alright, enough pleasantries. I'm sure you're wondering why I called you here, Sakura?" The girl nodded, her green eyes wide in curiosity. "Well, after Gaara and I got into an argument today," he winced as the redhead sent him an annoyed glare, "he said something that struck far too close to home."

"It has to do with Sasuke, then?" Sakura wondered, her head lowering and a closed off expression coming to her face.

"That's just it," the Jinchuuriki stood, pacing his floor in sudden agitation. "We never talk about him and anyone who does…"

"You defend him against them," Gaara noted dryly. Both members of Team 7 winced, staring at their feet in shame. "He's a Missing Nin, he's a traitor-"

"Okay, okay." Naruto sent him a grudging look. "No need to rub it in."

"So we're here to talk about Sasuke then?" Sakura questioned, picking up one of the items in her box.

"No." The blonde shook his head and sat beside Gaara, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "We're here for closure." Lee grabbed Sakura's hand as it began to shake. "As much as I hate to admit it, we can't keep letting him interfere with our lives. Sasuke is…he's not ours anymore." The kunoichi nodded, sending a grateful look to Lee as she placed the picture she held back into the box.

"I understand," she muttered, her lips turning down. "I suppose we have let him rule us enough. After all, had it not been for you, I would have never started looking at…well, I'd still be the shallow little girl I was for most of my life." Her eyes snapped up and she sent a firmer nod to Naruto. "Okay, let's…" She took a deep breath. "Let's get this done."

"Where do I even begin," the blonde mused. Gaara decided to help him, reaching inside of his box and pulling out a picture of Team Seven as they used to be; young, naïve, foolish, and with the Uchiha heir staring back at them without red eyes full of hate. Naruto gratefully took the picture and eyed it, sharing a small smile with Sakura. "I guess the beginning is always best."

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**Well, I've done it. I've created an entirely new story out of the old crap I once had on this site. Oh, and before anyone get's their hopes up, the conversation about Sasuke is entirely skipped. I hate his character with everything I am; in fact, he's one of the main reasons I stopped watching Naruto. The only thing they're doing is recapping the fond moments and the bad moments they had with him, getting all of the anger off of their chests. If you haven't seen the show or read the books, then I'd suggest doing so. There is your conversation. Of course, the difference of the timeline will be explained as the story goes on.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks for the reviews!**

**Chapter**: Revised.

* * *

Tsunade blinked in shock, her eyes taking on the two before her as they stood as a united front. Behind them, a pleased Rock Lee and Sabaku no Gaara stood with their arms crossed. She'd been praying for a distraction, but hadn't thought it would come to her like this. Beside her, Iruka's mouth had dropped open and he'd frozen, not quite believing what he'd heard. Everyone in the debriefing room was stiff, really. "Come again?" The question bypassed Tsunade's lips before she could stop herself.

"Lady Tsunade," Sakura bowed firmly, the respectful tone she gave showing how serious she was to her mentor. "Naruto and I have given this decision a lot of thought over the pass three days and…we think it's for the best."

"Sasuke's been given too much leeway as it is." Naruto's calm acceptance of Sakura's words were even more mind boggling than her idea. The blonde Jinchuuriki bowed in respect and held out his hands, revealing the cut headband that belonged to a boy who was once a friend. "Please, add him to the Bingo Book as an S Class Missing Nin."

"Any data you need we'll gladly give," Sakura continued, a bit of a plea in her voice for the conversation to end. Slowly, the Hokage reached out and removed the headband from Naruto's outstretched hands, her eyes still on the two before her.

"Very well," she stated after a moment, her eyes glimmering. "Is there anything else you'll need?"

"Two weeks vacation for ourselves," Naruto gave a cheeky grin, hiding his shaking hands inside of his orange and black tunic and hoping no one had seen them. "Also, if you could ask Kakashi to come visit us when he's back from his mission-?"

"Say no more," Tsunade held up her hands. "Consider it done and take your vacations. I've been trying to get you to take them ever since…" Ever since Sasuke had run off.

"Thank you, Lady Tsunade," Sakura bowed happily, a weight on her shoulders she hadn't realized was there removing itself. Tsunade waved her hand, unbelievably happy though trying not to show it.

"That offer extends to your boyfriends as well." She forced the grin to stay off her face as Gaara sullenly muttered _"partner"_ beneath his breath. "Don't worry about anything; I'll let your Kazekage know about it. Go on then, get!" Her hand waved them away, her lips betraying her at last.

"Come see me some time, Iruka!" Naruto beamed at the still stunned man as he left with the others, ignoring the snickering as his arm possessively wrapped around Gaara on the way. Once the quartet left the building, two shared a visible sigh. "That was harder than I expected it to be," the blonde admitted, resting his head on Gaara's.

"I'm glad though," Sakura stated, looking to the sky as she squeezed Lee's hand for support. "It's…a relief to start living for ourselves from now on."

"And I'm proud and happy for the both of you!" Lee smiled wide, giving them a thumbs up. "It takes a lot of courage to do something so brave!" Naruto stared at him for a long moment, before he ducked his head to shadow his eyes.

"Sakura…about that promise I made you-"

"Forget it, Naruto." She shook her head fondly. "You kept and fulfilled your promise to me." Confused blue eyes turned her way, making her smile. "You brought Sasuke back to me; He's here now," she pointed to her heart, "a place that he hasn't been in years. That man out there, the one in Akatsuki, he's not our Sasuke anymore." Naruto stared at her in surprise for a moment, before a pleased blush bloomed across his nose.

"Well, we have a vacation," he turned to Gaara, willing the blush away. "Anywhere you wish to go?" Gaara blinked his eyes, having not really paid much attention to the conversations around him.

"I'm hungry," he said after a moment, ducking his head down in shame; It seemed all he did these days was eat. His face was getting noticeably chubby, his arms a bit wider, his thighs and, though his baggy cloak hid it, his stomach as well. Naruto frowned, placing a finger under his chin and bringing his head back up.

"None of that." The redhead's lips twitched at the firmness in his voice, before he sighed.

"I'm getting fat."

"I'd love you even if you were a thousand pounds."

"I'd hope you'd love me enough to not let me get that far." Sakura and Lee chuckled at their antics.

"Don't be a smart ass." Naruto shook his head in amusement, kissing him twice in apology and humor. "So, you're hungry?"

"There's a coffee shop here," he hummed, turning to the other two. "You're welcome to come." Surprise showed on their faces for the barest of moments before being replace with genuine happiness.

"We'd love to come."

The coffee was excellent and, best of all, free. Gaara had smiled smugly when they were ushered to a seat and immediately attended to, knowing that Naruto was holding in a laugh as he recalled the story of the woman he'd once threatened to kill for spilling his drink on him. True to his predictions, the woman had quit the next day. Lee in particular was enjoying a green tea and mochi, talking animatedly with Naruto about getting his own group of Genin. Naruto, in turn, was telling him of the academy class he was scheduled to take over, having requested for missions that kept him in Konoha. Sakura had herself a black coffee with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and was coaxing Gaara into revealing the reasons why he was gaining weight.

"Do you think it's a concern?" She questioned, staring at him with wide eyes as he dejectedly stirred his own black coffee.

"I'm unsure," he admitted, keeping his voice low with a sideway glance at Naruto. "Lady Tsunade says it's worry that's making me eat so much, but Shukaku…" He trailed off, biting his lips in worry. Sakura placed a hesitant hand over his, giving him a comforting smile when he stared at her in confusion. It took him a moment to realize that his hand was shaking, but when he did an annoying hot blush crossed onto his face.

"I think you'll be okay," Sakura stated, not even mentioning the flush which he found himself grateful for. "If there's something I've learned from listening to Naruto blather on about the Kyuubi, it's that they think of themselves before anything. If you're hurt, they're hurt. If you die, they die. I'm really thinking Shukaku is merely thinking up a new way to mess with you; he seems the type." Gaara nodded to that, a bit relieved, honestly. Her words made quite a bit of sense, not that he'd tell her that.

"Ne, ne?" Naruto interrupted, leaning in to get Gaara's attention. "You'll come visit me when I have to teach the snot nosed runts of the litter at the academy, right?" Gaara blinked his eyes owlishly, staring at his partner with a face of pure bemusement. "You'll bring me lunches when I forget them and-and fuss at me, right?" Naruto blushed, leaning in a bit closer. "Right, Gaara?"

"Hell no."

"Aw, man!" Lee laughed, turning to Sakura with askance in his eyes. She stared at him, her face flat.

"No, you may not bring your new team into our home."

"But, Love Muppet-!"

"Lee!" Sakura flushed, her hands going to her ears as she stubbornly stomped her foot. "Didn't I tell you not to call me that??" Naruto and Gaara shared an amused look as the two broke into an argument about pet names for each other, waving for another order at the free entertainment.

"Hehee," the blonde grinned. _"Love Muppet."_

"…Call me that and die." Gaara shook his head in amusement.

When the four finally pulled away from the coffee shop, they decided to spend the day shopping for household items. "My house is quite bare now," Sakura admitted with a blush. "I…never realized how much I was holding on to Sasuke. You forgive me, right, Lee?" Lee gave her a smile, nodding his head as they walked into a furniture store. "Ooh, how gorgeous!" The pink haired teen turned her attention to a cherry wood Dining Room set, dragging Naruto with her as he tried to make a beeline for an orange and gaudy looking couch. Lee turned his attention to Gaara once they began to argue over the value of comfort and visage, his lips pulled into a wan smile.

"I could never quite tell her how much it depressed me to see him everywhere," he stated, making Gaara's eyes widen at the bitterness in the tone. "Even though I knew how much everyone wanted him back, I use to wish that he'd die out there, because then…" Shamefully, he turned away from Gaara's eyes, his head bowing low. "If he would have come back, then she would have run to him and forgotten about me. I love Sakura; I think I was the first person to ever see how beautiful and strong she would ever become. Had Sasuke came back, she would have turned into that shallow little girl again." Silence reigned between the two of them, broken only by the bickering voices of their respective loves as they moved further into the shop.

"It…was the same for me," he admitted after a moment. His lips curled after a second as Sakura finally gave into the temptation to deck Naruto on the head. "But, I think you should have more confidence in her; she's a good woman, Lee." Lee nodded, his smile far larger after the advice. He opened his mouth to speak, only to close it in confusion when Gaara let out a startled squawk. The redhead shuddered at his raised brow. "Just think, Lee; Naruto and Sakura could have gotten together if we hadn't been there." Lee blinked, turning to stare at the two who argued like family.

"I think we would have both been crushed." He gave his own shudder at the thought of it. "We may have gone to each other for support."

"Considering I once had a crush on you, that's probably not too far from the truth." Wide eyed, the green clad Jounin snapped his head towards him. Gaara walked away from his questioning eyes with a smirk, not bothering to reveal if that was truth or not.

"You've changed, Gaara," Lee stated to his back, a bemused look on his face. Gaara stopped walking, tilting his head back in question.

"Is that a good thing," he wondered. Lee gave him a few vigorous nods, honesty shining in every one. "That's good then." A soft smile blossomed upon Gaara's lips, one that was returned with a blinding smile and a thumbs up.

"Hey!" Naruto's shout interrupted the two. "Quit flirting with my man, Lee!"

"And you keep your hands off of mine, Gaara!" Sakura shook a balled fist at him. The two in question blushed as the ninja and kunoichi turned to each other with a playful glare. "Don't you yell at my man, Naruto!"

"Then keep your man in check, wench!" Lee and Gaara shared a small smile between each other before heading towards the two, hoping to stop the arguing before it turned into a brawl.


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks for the reviews!**

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Gaara stared himself over in the mirror.

Despite the reassuring words everyone gave him; Naruto, Temari, Kankuro, Tsunade, Sakura, Lee; he knew there was officially a problem. His cheeks were completely rounded, his arms wide, his fingers fat, but nothing compared to his bulging stomach. Shuddering, he poked it, watching as his reflection did the same. Before his finger could touch, a well of sand surrounded the swollen flesh and snapped at him.

Gaara shuddered.

He couldn't go back to Konoha; not like this. Not appearing so weak and helpless, eating at all hours and the weirdest things as well. His eyes turned to the pickled seaweed he had taken to craving, mixed in with sugar and soggy bread. It was embarrassing to be constantly showered with affection and concern from everyone he knew, not to mention how useless he'd become on missions. Shukaku hadn't even bothered to tell him a thing about what was happening, mainly just grumbling and cackling at random times; it was very disconcerting, especially when he felt his chakra being drained to low levels daily.

"I look like a whale," he stated, his reflection looking sour. A bit of guilt ate at him, remembering how Naruto had comforted him at times like this. Now separated by villages, not to mention Naruto was teaching at the academy, there would be no way he could possibly see him in such a sorry state. His stomach rumbled uncomfortably as the smell of rice wafted through the house, shortly bringing him to toilet; a place he'd been too many times to count.

"Gaara?" Kankuro knocked on the door. "Lunch is ready." Gaara dry heaved, not having put anything in his stomach for the day. The sound was enough to warrant a curse from the older brother as he tried to get through the door. Unfortunately, having tired of the constant fretting, Gaara had used his sparse bit of chakra to lock himself inside. "Gaara, open up!" Moaning painfully, Gaara hugged the bowl of the toilet, feeling his vision going dark.

When he next awoke, he found himself in a ward surrounded by medics.

Temari paced the floor in front of his bed, muttering quietly with Kankuro, who sat on his bed. A group of nurses hovered anxiously around him, pinching needles beneath his once impenetrable skin. The little pinches hurt, something he'd never experienced before, something he never wanted to experience again. "Sabaku?" One of the women noticed he was awake, drawing attention to him. He opened his mouth to speak, only to close it again as a scratchy sound left him.

"Don't speak," Temari stated, cutting off her walking to join Kankuro on the bed. The puppeteer was staring at him with wide eyes, confusion oozing out of him.

"Sabaku," the nurse caught his attention again, staring at him curiously. "Are you aware of what happened?" Of course he was aware. His eyes glared at her for the question, his anger spiking for no apparent reason; completely unstable, just as before.

"Gaara?" Kankuro waved a hand in front of his face. When light green eyes turned to him, he gave a worried frown. "You okay?" Wearily, Gaara's eyes turned from him, noticing that the room was bare except for the two. A questioning noise left his lips.

"Nurse?" He rasped, getting a bit of water from Kankuro after a moment. "What happened to the nurse?" He wondered again once his throat was wet enough. The older boy opened his mouth, his brow furrowing as he abruptly closed it again. He licked his lips, his eyes moving away from Gaara after a moment.

"She left…about four hours ago." Shocked, Gaara's eyes widened as he quickly whipped his head to see the sun going down. "You…don't remember then?" The hesitance of the words turned him back to his brother, a question dying on his lips at the graveness on his face. "Gaara," he stated, staring him in the eyes again, "I'm going to ask you a question; if you don't remember it, then either Shukaku is messing with your mind or you're personally blocking this, okay?" Dread filled him, but he nodded regardless, his ears wide open for the words.

Gaara felt his heart skip a beat.

Kankuro was not there, the sun was down, and he remembered nothing. A creeping fear settled within him, rising him from the bed as he felt the pressing urge to leave enter him. Was Shukaku messing with him? Was the news so bad that he'd forcefully pulled the thought from his own mind? Shaking, he made his way to the rooftop, his favorite place to sit and think; and he had quite a bit to think about. The cold air hit his skin, making him turn pink and shiver, the feeling new and foreign to him. He found himself missing the warmth his sand had always provided, something he's taken for granted for all of his life.

"Would I have been a frail child?" The question died on the night air after passing his lips and he scowled, recognizing the signs of stalling in seconds. "What are you hiding from me, Shukaku?"

_**So sure it's me?**_ The words caught him off guard and he nearly tumbled from his seat, not having expected to receive an actual response from the elusive Bijuu. Shukaku gave a low, weary chuckle, the sound settling like dead weight in his mind. _**Foolish boy, but correct.**_

"What are you hiding from me?"

…_**Do you really want to know? **_Startled once again, he fell silent. Did he want to know? His stomach clenched unpleasantly at the thought of knowing, of not knowing, before a soothing bit of chakra calmed his nerves. _**Don't do that, **_Shukaku warned, his voice deep in amusement. _**You don't want to hurt our baby, do you? **_Gaara blinked, the words barely registering for a moment.

"Baby?" He repeated slowly, the word strange on his tongue.

_**You reacted like this before, **_the demon muttered, though a touch of humor was in his tone. _**Is it so hard to believe, boy? I am in your innards; I can change what I wish.**_

"What did I do before?" Gaara wondered, still rather detached from the conversation. Strange things happened to him all the time, his birth a testament to that, but his mind couldn't quite seem to wrap around the words he was told. Pregnant; him? A male? How strange. Shukaku said nothing to his question, though a feeling of displeasure ran through him from the caged beast. "How will it be born?" Gaara continued to question, morbidly curious. "Will they cut me open? Will I shit it out?"

_**Don't be so crude. **_A huff of annoyance shivered through him. _**You will give the birth of a demon, **_Shukaku noted, grumbling. _**You will spit it up.**_

"Isn't that rather dangerous?" The redhead hummed, noticing his lips were rather blue. "I'll choke with that thing coming from me." He numbly stood and made his way back into the hospital, rummaging through the ward after a moment of thought. "I could die."

_**Don't be alarmed, **_came the deadpanned voice. _**I won't allow you to die; you will feel every last single bit of the pain, including the after affects.**_ Gaara absently nodded, reaching for his bag as he finally found it.

"This child," he questioned, opening his bag, "will it be human?"

**Our **_**child will be far above such creatures,**_ the demon reproached him.

"Would it have looked like Naruto?" He reached inside of his bag and gripped cold steel, his eyes still distant. Later, he would question why he awoke to a kunai close to his gut and why was he not home above the toilet as he recalled being. Kankuro and Temari would share a look between them, the older girl crumbling in tears after he asks her to stop making rice in the mornings. "I want to see Naruto," he stated, poking himself in the stomach with a scowl. "I need to lose this weight first; Temari, tell me your secret." The blonde gave him a wan smile, her lips trembling.

"E-Exercise and a steady d-diet." She licked her lips, closing her eyes and letting a few more tears escape. "Ex-excuse me for a moment; b-b-bathroom." She made a dash from the room, the door slamming upon her retreating back. He turned to a quiet Kankuro, a question in his eyes.

"What's wrong with her today?"

"That time of the month," he answered promptly, scowling after the words left his lips. "Gaara, you're seven months." Green eyes blinked.

"I'm sixteen, Kankuro."

"You're seven months," he stated again, "and you don't want it. If you did, then you wouldn't have had that kunai."

"Kankuro-?"

"We have to go to Konoha," he interrupted. "Lady Hokage will help you." He stood, nodding to himself as he walked past his younger brother as though not even noticing him any longer. "She'll know what to do." Once he was gone, Gaara allowed a bit of guilt to pass over him; he hadn't seen Naruto in two months. The blonde would not be happy to see him, he winced. No one would. Before he could brood more, his stomach gargled loudly and he blushed, hoping someone had packed his sweetened pickled seaweed and soaked bread. After a moment, his blush turned into a look of disgust.

"I look like a whale."


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks for the reviews!**

**Note: If you haven't already, kindly reread this fic. It is completely revised and changed from the previous one.**

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Gaara gave off a depressed sigh, sitting down where the nurses directed him. Temari had insisted on sending him to the hospital the moment they got into Konoha, not even bothering to pretend like there was nothing wrong with her statement. When he'd questioned why, she hadn't even bothered to answer, she simply sped up and got him a private room despite the scowls the nurses sent him. Perhaps he wouldn't have been too upset had he not saw a head of pink rushing off after Temari.

Sakura had saw them.

She would tell Naruto.

His stomach began to knot up with fear, soothed by a burst of chakra he hadn't released. He glared down at it, his finger going down to poke it and being blocked by hissing sand. "This is all your fault," he muttered, his lips in a frown. "You've been making me eat far too much and not regular either." Indeed, he hfad the certain taste for fried green tomatoes on rye bread with mayonnaise and some peanut butter with nuts. Speaking of which, Temari had better come back with that sandwich soon.

"Gaara?" Gaara lifted his head up quickly at the call of his name, not having realized that someone had opened his door.

"I'm a really useless ninja," he stated blandly. Tsunade blinked at the words, turning to send a grave look to Temari as she gave off an awkward shrug.

"He gets these moods a lot these days."

"I see…" Tsunade walked into the room and closed the blinds along his window, her hands a bit shaky. "Gaara, I'm going to give you a check up, okay? It'll be as quick as the one I gave you months ago if you recall it." He nodded, nervously lifting up his baggy cloak as she gestured him to. Her hands filled up with chakra and she sat it on his skin. Both Gaara and Temari shot a surprised look to his gut, both knowing how protective the sand was over it the last few months. Tsunade licked her lips, allowing her hands to move a bit lower. She sucked in a sharp gasp as she reached the underside of his stomach, spiking his curiosity with the simple action.

"Is something wrong, Lady Hokage?" Temari questioned, biting her lips in worry.

"…Proof," she stated simply, removing her shaky hands. "I must say, I hadn't quite believed you when you said it."

"Kankuro and I didn't really believe it either," she stated, bowing her head a bit.

"Believe what?" Gaara wondered, a bit peeved that they were leaving him out of the conversation. "And where's my sandwich, Temari?" The blonde ran a hand through her hair, removing the quick ponytail she had taken to wearing these days and letting her hair fall down unrestrained. Gaara fingered his own hair after noticing how long and well taken care of hers was, sending one of his split ends a scowl.

"I'll get your sandwich," Temari stated, talking over him as he said something about being jealous over the state of her hair. "You wanted mayonnaise and peanut butter on rye bread with fried green tomatoes, right?"

"Peanut butter with nuts," he corrected. Her face pinched up with revulsion.

"Have Shizune take you to get that made," Tsunade stated, her own face a bit green. After Temari left the room, she turned back to Gaara, pulling his cloak down to give him back his privacy. "Tell me, how has things been going with yourself since you left? Any pains, tenderness?" The Sand Nin frowned in thought, wondering about it.

"Well, I've been able to sleep everyday since I left," he admitted. "Shukaku has yet to talk to me, as well; he usually just grumbles a bit. Um," his eyes went down to his stomach, "I've been eating quite a bit, too, as you can clearly see. I have back pains, my chakra gets drained for no reason at random times of the day, my feet are starting to swell a bit, my…" Tsunade gave a small smile during the mini rant, noting how much the normally closed off boy was talking. It was…strange, unnatural, for a boy to get pregnant. Such a hard concept to wrap her mind around, but it seemed to be a good thing for him, despite him not knowing about it.

"If you were anyone else," she stated suddenly, cutting him off mid sentence and getting an annoyed glare, "you could work out all of those clues and come to the right decision yourself." It was rather true, she realized. Any woman would have figured it out by now, even quite a few men, but she doubted Gaara had ever experienced, nor cared to, a pregnant woman before. He was completely clueless about what was happening to him, probably blaming it all on himself. "If you truly are seven months along," she continued, deciding to drop a few hints, "then that would mean it happened about…two months before your three month mission."

"…I have no idea what you're talking about." He deadpanned. She smiled and ruffled his hair, truly a bit happy as no sand sparked up to block it.

"I know." A bit of guilt ate at her insides; she wasn't too sure of it, but she thought she was the only one who saw this unexpected pregnancy as a good thing. Gaara was changing, but it was a good change. "Naruto misses you, you know?" Those seemed to be the wrong words to say. Gaara's face clammed up, his skin whitened a bit, and small bursts of chakra were going through his stomach rapidly.

"I don't want to see him," the redhead stated, biting at his lower lip. "No, I don't want him to see me; no visitors, at all, unless it's Temari and Kankuro."

"But-"

"He can't see me like this," he cut her off, waving his hand to encompass himself. "I'm too fat and useless; he'll leave me and then I'll have to kill him." He blushed at her bemused face, gesturing to himself again. "Look at me; I look like a whale." Tsunade blinked her eyes rapidly for a long, tense minute, then burst into laughter.

"Lady Hokage?" Temari questioned, walking into the room with a questioning face. Tsunade merely shook her head, trying to get her laughter under control as Gaara gave her an annoyed pout. "Um, I've got the sandwich." She waved the thing in the air. Gaara stared at her for a moment, before he put a hand to his nose and covered his mouth, gagging.

"B-bathroom." He dashed out of the room, leaving Temari gaping at his back and making Tsunade laugh a bit louder.

"Don't you dare tell me I made this monstrosity for nothing!" Temari shouted, waving the sandwich in the air again. The sound of dry heaving answered her, making her stomp her foot in protest. "Damn it, Gaara!"

"You know how _they_ are," Tsunade gasped in some air. "Wants something one minute and vomiting the next." A disgruntled glare was shot at her as the sister turned to trash the food she had painstakingly made.

"Gaara has visitors," she snapped, walking from the room in a huff. All amusement abruptly left Tsunade as she turned to see the door open. Sakura peeked her head inside.

"Tsunade-"

"Out." The Hokage cut her off, her brown eyes sliding to the bathroom door where Gaara was still heaving. Quickly, she stood and ushered Sakura away, closing the door behind her and turning to see who she'd brought. A barely noticeable flinch left her as she saw the anxious face of Naruto.

"What's wrong with Gaara?" The blonde asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Is he okay?"

"He's fine." Tsunade assured, holding out her arms when he tried to duck passed her and get to the door. "No visitors."

"I thought you said he was fine!"

"He _is_ fine," she scowled at him.

"Then why no visitors?" Naruto whined, his blue eyes pitiful as he abruptly sagged. "You know how much I've missed him." Tsunade sighed, her eyes softening immediately.

"Of course I know how much you've missed him, but Gaara specifically asked for no visitors."

"But-"

"Especially you." She cut him off, hating the look of hurt that crossed his face. "He said he doesn't want you to see him." Sakura frowned, completely puzzled as Naruto began to mope.

"So, he wants to see Naruto, but he doesn't want Naruto to see him?" Tsunade nodded, knowing that she would be the first to figure that out with the words she'd used. "Why?"

"In his own words," a giggle left the Hokage's lips, "he looks like a whale." Silence descended amongst the three, before Sakura joined her with a giggle of her own.

"I don't care if he looks like a duck!" Naruto shouted. "I want to see him!" Tsunade grabbed him by his hair, which he had allowed to grow out in his depression of not seeing Gaara and this time for no apparent reason. The blonde winced, reminding himself to get it trimmed as he was pulled from the ward, Sakura following the two whilst sending worried looks to the door. Though she hadn't said anything, she still recalled that conversation she'd had with him at The Konoha Café; she truly did hope everything was alright.

From behind the door, Gaara watched them from a crack in the door, his face quite red. He waited until their voices faded before hurrying out of the room. He knew Naruto; the blonde would insist on visiting him regardless of his wishes. A bit of warmth shot through him at the thought, making him scowl and blush all the more. "I am not a love sick teenager," he muttered.

"I would certainly hope not." The voice made him pause in his steps. "What are you doing here, Gaara? And what the hell happened to you; you look like you swallowed a ball." Gaara's eyes twitched as he turned to see the cocky face of Kiba Inuzuka, his large white dog crouched a bit away from his owner warily.

Smart dog.

"Did you just call me fat?" He questioned, his eyes quite blank. Normally, he'd allow the boy a bit of leeway in the way he talked to him; after all, his brother had become good friends with the dog boy after saving his life. Not to mention, he was quite fond of Akamaru as the dog loved to stay up with him some days when they visited. But his owner was a bit thick and every bit arrogant, never realizing how offensive his words were until after the person he said them to got upset. For once, however, Kiba seemed to realize that he was in a dangerous spot as a worried furrow came to his brow.

"I didn't call you fat," he stated after a long moment. "I said you look like you swallowed a ball." Well, maybe he didn't quite realize it. Gaara's eyes narrowed dangerously, making Akamaru let out a strangled whimper. Less than a minute later found a satisfied Sand Nin walking away from his room, happily bouncing up a bit of sand. In his room, out cold to the world, lay Kiba, his head with quite a bruise. Akamaru lay at the foot of his bed with his head in his paws. That was the scene that Naruto burst into a mere two minutes later, having managed to outrun Tsunade and Sakura and headed back up to the room.

"It seems he knows you better than you thought," Tsunade chuckled ruefully, watching Naruto sputter at Kiba's prone form.

Gaara sneezed.

With a small frown, he ducked into a random room, ignoring the injured woman inside as he looked out the window. He climbed out without a second thought after seeing he was on the first floor. His eyes traveled to the windows on the hospital, seeing a streak of orange and black frantically running by, before he placed a hand on his lower back and, sticking to the shadows, began to walk off. "I shouldn't have climb out the window," he stated, wincing as a sharp pain danced along his spine. "Stupid idea." Honestly, he wondered how the Akimichi's put up with the added weight and not become useless like he certainly did.

"I hate being fat," he muttered, feeling frustrated tears coming to his eyes as the small walk began to make his feet swell. "I'm going on a diet; a starvation diet." With a sigh, he plopped down beneath one of the windows and gripped a bit of the grass, leaning his head back against the wall. "I'll start tomorrow," he promised himself.

_**You will not**_, Shukaku murmured, making him jump at the sudden sound. A big well of anger swelled through him, though it came from the beast and not himself. _**You're a whiny little bastard, did you know that?**_

"That's the kettle calling the pot black," Gaara hissed. "And considering you were in a kettle-"

_**That's not how that phrase goes, **_the demon interrupted, a bit put out really. The two settled into silence.

"M'tired," Gaara noted, laying down on the grass.

_**Me too, **_Shukaku stated, yawning. _**Being a mother takes a lot out of people.**_ The two remained silent, Gaara's eyes closing of their accord before the words registered in his mind, making his eyes abruptly snap open.

"…Say what?"

"Gaara!" The shout was practically wailed in his ear as Naruto suddenly picked him up and held him close, only backing off as his stomach was nipped in warning by the sand surrounding Gaara's own belly. "Ouch," he noted blandly, looking Gaara over with a well meaning eye. "Where the hell have you been??" He shouted, pointing a finger in Gaara's face. The redhead bit it, watching in satisfaction as he hastily drew it back to himself and began to suck on it with an annoyed face.

"Don't be rude," he snapped, crossing his arms over himself. Discreetly, he shuffled his robes, something he'd chosen to make him appear swamped by the folds of cloth and not his rolls of fat; He had just about died when he saw stretch marks on himself in the changing room. But of course, Naruto was looking as right as rain, skinny, tanned, shoulder length hair with no split ends, looking a bit like the Fourth Hokage to be honest. He looked good, which was not a major morale booster at that moment, especially since his lips were chapped, his face was rotund and his hair was a bit dry and split ends were everywhere. Bed head was not a good look on him. "I thought I said I didn't want you seeing me," he snapped, frowning at how good he looked.

"Well, that's too bad," Naruto stated a bit petulantly as he noticed the glare he was receiving. Quickly, the blonde gave Gaara a once over, his blue eyes not even widening in shock at the changes that could be clearly seen. "I don't even know why you're so angry; you look good to me. All you did was gain a bit of extra weight," Gaara's eyes twitched, "which you can easily burn off with a steady diet and exercise," Naruto continued quickly. Unlike Kiba, he quite knew when he was in dangerous territory and what to say to diffuse it.

"Do you mean it?" Gaara wondered, staring down at his stomach. "I don't look like I swallowed a ball or like a-like a whale?"

"Of course you don't look like a whale," Naruto rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"…But I looked like I swallowed a ball?"

"No!" The blonde held up his hands as a bit of sand swelled around his feet. "Gaara, you can easily burn off the extra weight when you get yourself back to training."

"Oh…Then, can you get me a chocolate and strawberry roulade and some grape popsicles?" The redhead licked his lips as an incredulous expression was given to him. "I'm hungry," he clarified, his midlife crisis apparently over with.

"…I'll get you whatever you want if you go back into the hospital with me."

"My feet are swollen," he stated blandly, staring down and blushing when his stomach blocked them from view. He cursed himself in his mind, not even protesting as Naruto picked him up and jumped through a nearby window. By the time he was put back to bed, with a pale Kiba apologizing for saying he looked like he swallowed a ball, then apologizing to a pissed off Naruto as he realized that he was one of the reasons Gaara needed extra reassuring about his size, Gaara had completely forgotten about the short conversation he'd had with Shukaku. It wasn't until everyone had left the room to allow him to sleep did he even recall the strange sentence.

That day, he dreamed of little Naruto's terrorizing the world.


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks for the reviews!**

******Note: If you haven't already, kindly reread this fic. It is completely revised and changed from the previous one.**

**Another Note: I'm trying to do an update a day until my muse dies. If you're wondering why, it's mainly to keep away depression; after I lost all of my data, I've been falling into moods a lot. Thus, I've come to a new model to temporarily go by; An update a day keeps the depression away. Meaning, yes, I do write these new chapters the same day I post them. Pretty neat, huh? However, something tells me that I might not be able to continue this trend tomorrow...Perhaps it's the fact that my mother just kicked my external hardware, which was dropped and broken by my younger brother but miraculously still works?**

**And for those of you wondering _who's baby is it?? Shukaku's?? Naruto's???_ You'll find out when Gaara does. :P**

**Also, Fanfictiondotnet is doing some weird things with my format; if anyone spots any mistakes, please let me know?**

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Gaara wasn't telling him something.

Normally, Naruto wasn't one to dwell over his partner's silences, but this was a bit too much. After removing the redhead from the hospital, Gaara seemed to alternate between happiness, to horror, to fear on a daily basis. He had a feeling that the moods were because of the reason he was in the hospital in the first place, a reason that everyone seemed to know except for him.

Naruto was not a bitter person.

No, he'd never been bitter about anything, except not bringing Sasuke back when he'd promised. However, he couldn't stop the swell of bitterness when he visited Tsunade and found her talking to Temari, only for them both to stop talking at the sight of him. Even worse was when he constantly found Gaara talking to himself, only for him to say he was thinking aloud. Naruto was not an idiot, he hadn't been an idiot since the day he'd accidentally seen Tsunade's breakdown after the news of Jiraiya's death, but obviously everyone still thought him to be such.

"Are you okay, Naruto?" The voice of Iruka interrupted his brooding. His blue eyes looked up from his class papers, a sight he hadn't even seen.

"Iruka?" The Chuunin stared down at him, his face the perfect example of worry.

"Your class ended an hour ago," he stated, sitting down on the desk. "You okay?" Naruto blinked in surprise, turning to see the empty desks in the class. Was he okay?

"No," he muttered, letting the papers drop on his desk. He wasn't okay in the slightest.

"You want to talk about it?" The question caused the blonde to smile, reflecting on the days when Iruka would treat him to ramen and listen to him without judgment. His smile abruptly died as he turned his thoughts to Gaara.

"Sometimes," he began, "sometimes I wish I had chosen to go with Fukasaku." Iruka said nothing, merely gestured for him to continue when he turned to look at him. "The only thing that stopped me was Gaara; I couldn't leave him, not after the shit we went through." And boy was it some shit. He still recalled the day they'd first acknowledged any feelings for the other, he was sure everyone that was there could. Naruto had been traveling with Kakashi, Sakura, Chiyo and Team Gai on a mission to save Gaara, who had been kidnapped by the Akatsuki. Naruto still remembered how afraid he was, that they wouldn't make it in time to save him, that he would be dead when they got there. It was nearly the reality, for when they finally made it to his location they were blocked from entry by a five point seal.

"_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto clenched his teeth together, ignoring the words Gai stated about splitting up. "Neji," he interrupted the Jounin's speech, not even paying attention to the scolding Kakashi attempted to give him, "where are the other seals?" Neji frowned at the blonde and shook his head._

"_Our team is faster-"_

"_Where are the **seals**?!" Naruto cut him off, feeling the Kyuubi's chakra spring up in his anger. "Gaara's **dying** in there; **we don't have time to waste!" **The words sounded more like a threat than anything, making the Hyuuga quickly stutter out the locations._

"_Naruto-?" Everyone cut off in shock as the clones dashed off, the quickest they'd ever been before, leaving trails of red chakra in their tracks._

It was the fastest any Naruto had ever moved. It seemed to be the smart thing to do as well, seeing as once all of the seals were off clones of his clones had sprung up from the ground. Unfortunately for them, all his clones had to do was disperse and, like mindless idiots, they'd followed the originals seamlessly. Sakura had made quick work of the boulder blocking the entrance, allowing them all to enter inside just in time to break up the Akatsuki's ritual. Gai had been the one to quickly remove Gaara from the dais, leaving the others to fight for their freedom.

The fight, Naruto could barely remember it, so angry that he'd slipped into the demon mindset that the villagers accused him of always having. Deidara, the scheming coward, had fled, leaving the group to deal with Sasori, who had decided that the easiest victory was through a comatose Gaara. The man had stolen him from their side and used him as a shield, igniting Naruto's rage and subsequently forfeiting his life. When Naruto had finally snapped back into his normal persona, it had been to Gaara's sand dragging him away from the beaten man, allowing Chiyo to finish her business with her grandson. The dying man had left them with a tip to the whereabouts of a spy he had on Orochimaru, a link to Sasuke.

Gaara had thanked them for saving his life afterwards, looking absolutely miserable with Chiyo at his side. The sight was enough to cause even Neji to feel a bit saddened as the two turned to go. _"Wait a minute, Gaara!" Naruto called, running up to the departing Kazekage. "This is usually where people shake hands to say goodbye." Gaara's green eyes slid over him, before he slowly raised his hand to shake. When the blonde took it, Gaara surprised everyone. Quickly, he brought his sand up and slammed the Leaf Nin into him, allowing his lips to claim him in front of everyone's wide eyes. Then, completely at odds with the soft kiss he'd given, Gaara tossed him away from him, his head bowed, allowing his hair to shadow his expression._

"_You're going after Sasuke again, aren't you?" Though his voice was low, it rang out quite clearly in the silent clearing. "He doesn't deserve your devotion."_

"_Gaara…" Stunned, Naruto could barely get his mouth to say the words he wished, though he truly had no idea what he wished to say. Gaara said nothing else, merely turning to flee into the surrounding woods, causing Chiyo to come from her shock and quickly hurry after him._

From what he recalled, listening to the tale from Tsunade, Gaara had returned to his country a hero, with his own fan club and everything. However, much to everyone's shock and chagrin, the redhead decided to step down from his position. When asked about it, he'd told them with such a blunt honesty that nearly everyone had to sit down for a moment to think; He didn't want to die for them, couldn't possibly die for them. He wanted to live for the person who had given him reason, the first person to ever see him as truly precious. When Tsunade had told him that, Naruto had just about dropped from shock, knowing that the redhead was talking about him.

From that day forward, Gaara had taken to hanging around Konoha more.

At first, completely confused and freaked out, Naruto had taken to avoiding him like the plague. He'd never entertained the thought of being with a man, any man, and the thought of it was completely foreign. It wasn't until he'd overheard a few of the villagers mocking the once Kazekage, which pissed him off to the point of learning a genjutsu and testing it on them, that he even bothered to seek the Sand Nin out. He'd found Gaara aimlessly walking around Konoha, completely ignoring the sneers and taunts people tossed his way. Completely stone faced, he'd made his way to one of Konoha's surrounding forests and then, much to Naruto's chagrin, became the perfect picture of miserable.

"_Why?" Naruto had asked him, silently sitting at his side. "Why sit here and take the abuse? Why stop being the Kazekage because of me?" Gaara had curled up beside him, resting his chin on his knees._

"_I became the Kazekage _because _of you," he stated blandly. "I came here because of you; everything I've been doing these days…it's all because of you." The simple truth hung between them for the hour they silently sat together as Naruto reflected on the words. It felt…nice to have someone doing things because of him. Doing things out of…was it love? Before he could ask, Gaara had once again taking the liberty of kissing his lips, the feeling a light pressure on him. Then, completely ignoring as he tried to speak, the redhead vanished in his sand, leaving a bemused and irritated Jinchuuriki to himself._

The next time he saw Gaara was two weeks later.

When Naruto entered the mission room, Gaara was in a heated discussion with Tsunade, and from the look on her face she was not happy about what she was hearing. The two of them turned to him when he made himself known, though he only had eyes for the confusing ninja. Gaara had stared at him dispassionately, completely closed off and reminding him vividly of the first time he'd ever seen him.

"_Naruto," Tsunade dragged his attention away from the redhead. When he turned to her, she scowled, shooting a sideways glance at Gaara. "Today, you have an escort mission; Gaara wishes to return home." The words were like a blow to him as he numbly accepted the sheet of paper she handed over to him. "Your team…" But Naruto wasn't listening, instead stuck on the fact that Gaara was leaving him. He was giving up on him, probably never planning on showing his face in Konoha again._

"_You're not leaving," he muttered, his eyes turning to stare at the impassive Sand Nin. "I won't allow you to leave."_

"_You have no hold over me." Naruto's hands twitched, his eyes narrowing at the simple half truth of the statement._

"_Why are you trying to leave?" Gaara said nothing, merely crossed his arms over his chest and turned his head away._

Naruto leaned his head back and closed his eyes, a puff of breath leaving his lips. He had nearly been labeled a Missing Nin after that mission, as he'd asked for it on his own and was given consent. However, instead of escorting Gaara home, he'd basically kidnapped the bewildered boy and forced him into a pseudo date, even going as far as putting candles around the room he'd gotten for the two of them. Gaara hadn't appreciated anything he'd done and had only caved in and talked to him after he gave him a massage, with a few of his clones cooking up some food for him. The two had awkwardly spent the time trying to work something out, before Naruto let his brashness overcome and decided to treat things as he would have a regular relationship, though Gaara nipped it in the bud when he asked him if he wanted flowers.

"_I'm not a girl."_

Of course, there was no smooth sailing afterwards; Konoha's council didn't remotely approve, even calling for Naruto's death, saying that the Jinchuuriki planned on taking over the village. However, proving that they were still loyal to their previous Kage, Sand had offered to take Naruto in should he decide to turn tail and desert his village, who immediately calmed their protests when they learned of the offer. That certainly didn't stop them from sending out assassins who Gaara had happily murdered, remarking about childhood memories and "missing this."

To say Naruto was freaked was a bit of an understatement.

Iruka waved a hand in front of Naruto's face, his concern quite evident as he stared at him. "Is something wrong with your relationship with Gaara?" He wondered, snapping the blonde from his memories. "You've been awful spacey and quiet these past days."

"Yes…No…I don't know!" Naruto threw his hands in the air, quite confused himself. "No one tells me anything anymore!" He placed his hands in his hair in frustration, turning away from Iruka's prying eyes. "Gaara's getting bigger everyday and I know I said nothing but reassurances but…I mean, what if he's suffering from a tumor or he's gotten some kind of eating disorder?? I'll love him regardless, I swear it, but…" He sighed and leaned back in his chair. Emotions caused far too much confusion; he wished things were as simple as the kisses he gave Gaara daily. "I should have gone with Fukasaku, then I wouldn't have to think about this shit!" He banged his head against his desk, the blow cushioned by his papers. "But no, I chose to stay and get better on my own and I've done nothing but fool around and deal with Gaara! The only progress I made was becoming a Chuunin; How is that going to do anything against the Akatsuki??" There was a short moment of silence.

"So...this has to do with Gaara's weight?" Iruka wondered, once again not letting him brood.

"I don't care about his weight!" Naruto snapped, irritated. Couldn't he brood and remember the old days in peace? Couldn't he remember how he could have avoided the current situation if he had decided to leave with Fukasaku when asked? He loved Iruka, he really did, but damn if he wasn't annoying him right now. "I care about the _reasons _he's getting big! I mean, it's kind of like what happened to Kurenai; but that can't be right, because Kurenai's preg-" He cut off, his eyes widening as something in his mind clicked.

The eating habits.

The mood swings.

The added weight.

The chakra problems.

Shukaku letting him sleep.

_"Holy...fucking...shit..."_ Wide, disbelieving blue eyes turned to Iruka, only to get another shock as he instead found himself in front of a very familiar cell. Before him, Kyuubi's large eyes peered from the darkness, the redness the only light in the cage.

_About time, you runt. _Large white teeth bared in a parody of a smile. _We need to…**talk.**_


	9. Chapter 9

**Thanks for the reviews!**

******Note: If you haven't already, kindly reread this fic. It is completely revised and changed from the previous one.**

**Another Note: Yes, I write these the same day I post them; this chapter took me two hours, mainly because I was rereading the manga and -sniffles- remembering what happened to Jiraiya. Anyone else out there read the manga? Did you notice how Sakura **'confessed'** her love to Naruto after Hinata did? How...whore-ish. :/\**

**And for anyone wondering, I'm basing Gaara off of the few pregnant women I've met/lived with. They were horrible. :\**

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Gaara had a problem.

Normally, this problem would have to deal with his rapid weight gain. Sometimes it would even have to do with not having food, a sudden mood swing, crankiness, or a combination of all three included with swollen feet. But those problems were too often to cause him a major panic anymore, especially since he finally found out the reason for them. He, a young teen, a young _male_ teen, was pregnant. It was horrifyingly shocking, he'd even entertained thoughts of stabbing the foreign creature out of him once he figured it out, but he'd had a wonderful dream of little demonic Naruto's that constantly changed his mind every time he found the kunai clutched in his hands. Of course, he'd also found himself constantly trying to tell the blonde about it and losing his nerve at the last second.

But that wasn't the problem.

Some may speculate, thinking that his problem came from the little waddle walk he had been developing these days. Those people would find themselves crushed beneath his sand, which Shukaku had given him a bit of control over after he'd threatened, for the sixteenth time, to cut the creature out of his gut if he didn't comply. Of course, the demon refused to tell him about how the kid was going to be born, but Tsunade promised to look something up for him (after overcoming her shock of him having figured it out so quickly). His problem had nothing to do with his bladder, either, which he had to constantly get up to relieve at odd hours. No, he had a far different problem.

Gaara was horny.

Of course he had been horny before, proof of the unnatural phenomenon happening in his very own belly (_"Did you give me this…uterus thing?!" He shrieked to a laughing Shukaku as he read through a pamphlet on regular pregnancies_). However, all the previous times he had been horny, Naruto had been there to take care of that. Now, however, the blonde had suddenly had some sort of epiphany and he wanted to go _training_. Gaara hadn't said anything to object his leaving, though he had the nagging suspicion that Naruto left because of him. There was no concrete proof, but the blonde had been staring at his gut (_"Bubble gut" as he'd taken to calling it_) the day before he'd just abruptly left. Of course, that lack of proof did nothing to calm down his siblings when he'd cried to them about being dumped for a skinny girl.

And hadn't that just been embarrassing?

Naruto hadn't said that he was leaving him, but how could he not think that? He'd just up and left the same day he mentioned going _training_, staring at Gaara as though he was some sort of…some sort of…

"And here comes the tears," Gaara muttered, thumping his head onto the kitchen table and letting them fall. After that _heartless_ _bastard_ had left, he couldn't stand to be in his apartment any longer. Thus, moping and angry, he had left to go find his own apartment. The search hadn't ended well, as he found no where that didn't stop reminding him of Naruto, and then he'd had the most perfect idea. In hindsight, it was absolutely foolish of him to do such a thing, but he hadn't been in the mood for thinking at that time. Thankfully Hinata had been more than understanding, or maybe she had simply been scared stiff when he'd burst into her home, claiming that she was a home-wrecker?

Though it was quite hilarious the way she'd fainted when he called her that.

However, the kind hearted girl had happily decided to take it upon herself to make sure he was well taken care of; finding him a cheap home to stay at, listening to his brooding, making sure he ate. Of course, she was probably just trying to use him to get to Naruto, now that she knew that he was out there cheating on him with some unnamed _tramps_ and Gods didn't that just _hurt_ to think about? But he only thought like that on bad days. On good days, Hinata was becoming a friend, a rather shy friend with a crush on his (soon to be _dead_ ex) partner.

This was one of those bad days.

"That home-wrecking wench," he sniffled, grabbing a chocolate cupcake that Hinata had given to him for Sad Days. He stuffed it in his mouth, silently thanking her even as he continued to blame her for everything. Why, if it wasn't for skinny women like her, Naruto wouldn't have left to go _training_, especially since he needed him right now. "Hinata, you heartless bitch," he whined, "Naruto's just using you to get to me!"

"Gaara?" Quickly, Gaara sat his head up and wiped his eyes, his sand hastily going up to block his blushing face. Of course, no one knew the truth about his bad days and it was going to stay that way. Hinata poked her head into the room and gave him a confused once over, her eyes turning to the chocolate crumbs left on the table, which he'd forgotten to move. Despite her having already seen them, he brushed them to the side and stared at her, trying for a smile.

He failed.

"One of those days?" Hinata questioned, holding up a bag and silently telling him why she was there. The Hyuuga Heiress hadn't been able to stutter around him since she'd seen and comforted him after a breakdown. The stutter had come back temporarily when she'd seen him through her Byakugan and learned of his pregnancy, but other than that she had been annoyingly friendly to him. It was hard to hate annoyingly friendly people, especially when they removed chocolate ice cream from a bag and placed it in front of you with a shiny clean spoon.

God bless her.

"Something told me to come here," Hinata continued, going around to stock up his cabinet. "I don't know why…I just had this feeling that I needed to be here with you today." Gaara rose a brow, digging into his ice cream with a wary eye on her. When she finished packing she sat at the table with him, her eyes searching him for any hints of dishonesty. "What were you thinking about?"

"Naruto," he admitted sullenly. Her lips turned down at the proclamation.

"You know, I still don't believe he's cheating on you; Naruto's not like that."

"Tell that to my heart," he snapped, shoving another spoonful into his mouth. Silence descended between them, before the Hyuuga wisely decided not to bring up the subject again.

"Well, my father has taken Hanabi from the village…" She gave a sad frown as she reached out and grabbed a cupcake; Hinata often came over with her own emotional baggage. Normally, he wouldn't deal with it, but he always allowed her to freely speak her mind in his presence. He would even let her cry on his shoulder should she ever ask. However, he wasn't going to let her know that, so the possibilities of her asking were slim. "He's probably going to train her to be a better kunoichi; I wouldn't be too surprised if he announced that he named her heiress while they were out."

"I hate your father," Gaara stated dryly, watching as her lips twitched.

"He's gotten better."

"Your father is a dick," Gaara continued, ignoring her feeble attempt to defend him. "I don't know why you even bother to stay and work for him. You should come to Sand; we'll take care of you." A surprised blush came to her face.

"As nice as it would be to escape, I'm staying here; I want to serve under Naruto when he becomes Hokage."

"He'll be a great Hokage," Gaara nodded, smiling. Then he remembered that he was mad at the blonde and scowled. "Not that I care; I'm going home whether he becomes Hokage or not." Moodily, he poked his spoon into his ice cream, mashing it after a second's thought. "I'll teach him to abandon me." A smile stole over Hinata's lips as she shook her head, reaching forward to take his treat away from him.

"Did you take your vitamins today?"

"Yes, mom." The redhead rolled his eyes.

"And did you check in with Tsunade yet?" He silenced, his bottom lip protruding slightly. After Naruto had left, he hadn't bothered speaking to Tsunade. The blonde woman had took Naruto's side, saying that he really was training and that he just needed some time to himself; the Kyuubi holder hadn't told anyone why he left, but they were all sure he had his noble reasons.

"_He wouldn't abandon you," _Sakura had stated bluntly, a frown on her face.

"_I'm sure it's all a misunderstanding, you'll see!"_ Rock Lee had reassured him with a thumbs up.

"_Naruto's just realizing that he needs to get stronger," _Iruka had shifted guiltily. The only people that had taken his side had been his family and, for some reason, Kiba. Even Hinata had taken Naruto's side, though he thought it had more to do with her crush than anything. Seeing everyone take the blonde's side had been a bit crushing to him, however, reminding him more and more that Konoha was not truly his home unless Naruto was with him. He never said it, but he was sure that Temari and Kankuro knew exactly what he was feeling. Hinata sighed at his continued silence, going to his sink to wash the few dishes he never could find the time to do.

"You know, Gaara…I envy you." Her words were soft, barely distinguishable above the running water. Gaara paled.

"You bitch! You _poisoned_ me, didn't you??"

"What?!" Hinata's wide eyes turned to see him scrubbing his tongue off with a napkin. "Gaara, I didn't poison you!" The redhead slowly calmed down, thankful for the sand hiding his blush even as he glared at her suspiciously. "I just wanted to let you know that there's no way I would ever try to steal Naruto from you; you deserve him." She turned back to the dishes with an amused smile. "I've never seen either of you as happy apart then you are when together. Just look at you now; you're moping."

"I am _not_ moping!" Gaara sulked, knowing she was right and hating to admit it. The sulk only became worse as he attempted to stand, which took him far longer than it should have as the chair seemed to mold around his thighs. "Son of a bitch," he grunted, blushing through the sand as Hinata let out a giggle. The sound abruptly cut short as a loud boom came from outside, making the two look up quickly.

"Stay here," Hinata ordered, activating her Byakugan and quickly rushing up front with a kunai in hand. At the doorway, she felt the urge to curse how her Byakugan wasn't as developed as Neji's, but ignored it in favor of peering out the door with all of her senses. Gaara watched her anxiously, paling when she did as he stood up and hesitantly waddled over to her.

"Hinata-?"

"We have to leave!" Hinata whispered urgently, turning towards him with wide eyes. _"A-Akatsuki!"_


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks for the reviews!**

******Note: If you haven't already, kindly reread this fic. It is completely revised and changed from the previous one.**

**This was actually a hard chapter to write. D: I had so many different ideas for it, but it didn't turn out the way I wanted it to. I apologize in advance; tomorrow's will be better.**

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"Stay here and don't move!" The words were hissed to him by a very worried Hinata as she placed him into the damp cave. Gaara had heeded her advice, despite wanting nothing more than to go assist everyone in Konoha; his family was there, damn it! But he knew that he would do nothing but get in the way. "Promise me you won't move?" He'd promised her that he wouldn't, watching warily as she placed a boulder in front of the cave and headed for the devastation that Konoha was under.

That was an hour ago.

Gaara had expected the explosions to calm down quickly, but nothing of the sort happened. Instead, he only heard screaming and crying as people rushed by his hiding spot, evacuating, panicking. Gaara held his breath each time someone walked past, hoping that Hinata, or a Hyuuga, or somebody that was an ally would find him and tell him that everything was okay. But most of all…

Most of all, he wanted Naruto.

_**Don't worry, don't worry,**_ Shukaku attempted to sooth him, randomly sending out bursts of chakra when others were felt from the outside. _**You don't want to hurt the child.**_

"I know!" Gaara sat on the ground and tried to calm his breathing. He'd never been claustrophobic before, but he now understood how that boy had felt when he'd held him in sand when he was a child. It was torture, pure torture, just sitting and waiting for a rescue and not being there to help. What if Temari was in trouble? What if Kankuro was hurt? Hinata could be under attack right then and he was just sitting there! Not to mention, the people he'd taken to avoiding; What if they met their ends before he saw them again? And… "I miss Naruto," he breathed heavily.

_**Well, he's not here, is he? **_The Bijuu stated snidely.

"And who's fault is that?!" Gaara wondered, glaring down at his stomach as it produced more chakra. "I didn't ask for you to mess with me; I didn't ask for anything that had _you_ in it!" The demon fell silent, grumbling at him as he pulled his knees up, the Sand Nin succumbing to the sobs that wanted to leave as another explosion rocked the area. "Damn you, Naruto, you're never here when I need you anymore!"

_**Hush, **_Shukaku muttered awkwardly. _**He'll come for you; I know he will.**_

"And how would you know?" He snapped.

_**Because…because I know why he left.**_ Gaara hiccupped in surprise, staring down at his stomach as the Shukaku went silent once more. _**Put your hand on your stomach, Gaara.**_

"Tell me why he left first."

_**For once, don't argue with me.**_ Sighing, the Jinchuuriki put a hand over his stomach and waited, wondering what the Shukaku wanted. _He_ wanted to know about Naruto, to know the reason why he'd been abandoned on such short notice. He wanted to know why he wasn't told, why Shukaku knew the reason before him. He wanted to know-oh.

"…Oh!" Gaara jumped, startled as he felt a bump beneath his hand. "Was that a kick?" The kid…had never done that before. Reading those pamphlets, he'd begun to think the child was dead; only Shukaku's reassurances reminded him that the child wasn't like the others. Still though…he was kicked. Gaara sighed in exasperation as his tears started up again, this time because of happiness. "I wonder what he'll look like?"

_**Who say's it's a boy?**_ The demon purred, amusement in every word. _**And who say's there's one?**_

"…Shukaku, so help you if there's more than one in here." The Bijuu chuckled at his words, not bothering to answer him as another kick was placed on his palm. Gaara's eyes softened, thinking about the dream he had again; A Kage Bunshin load of miniature Naruto's terrorizing the world, with Naruto's laughing face carved above Konoha. His lips twitched; actually, that was more like a nightmare than anything. "Tell me, do they look like him?"

_**They look like rats**_, Shukaku noted dryly. Gaara snorted, a smile blooming across his lips at the information.

"So, there's more than one?"

_**Ah, damn…**_The Bijuu slumped, the feeling carrying onto his host who chuckled. _**Well, I'm not telling you how many or the genders. **_Another explosion happened outside, making Gaara tense. _**But one of them has red hair,**_ he continued, dragging his attention back towards him. _**And it has my eyes.**_

"Your eyes?"

_**Well, one of them. What? You didn't think I wouldn't show up; Kyuubi's here too.**_

"Are you for real?" He stared down at his stomach, a bit green.

_**Well, we're all sharing a body; consider Naruto Kyuubi's child. Of course the kids will look like their father, but you get a bit of the grand dad too.**_

"So…you and Kyuubi was watching us _do_ _it_ and joining in?"

_**In a sense. However, I was watching; I don't know about the Kyuubi though. **_Horrified, Gaara closed his eyes and thumped his head against the wall. The thought was…terribly embarrassing. _**You've got the same hot spots that I have, too, right behind the ears-**_

"I'm ignoring you now." The two fell silent, with the Shukaku chuckling, slowly letting the sounds of outside drift in. The Sand Nin frowned at the distant sounds, wondering if the battle was being led away from the village. Before he could question it, his eyes snapped open as a loud boom echoed through the cave, turning his head towards the boulder.

_**The fighting is getting too close to this area,**_ Shukaku warned him, suddenly serious. _**You have to move.**_

"But it sounded so far away," the Jinchuuriki noted. There was a moment of silence before the Bijuu huffed, soundly honestly tiredly.

_**If we get caught, they'll extract me from you; I don't want to go back, so you have to move! **_Gaara groaned, slowly standing up from the ground and making his way towards the boulder. He blinked in bemusement as he noticed it was already gone. When had that happened? _**Move! **_Shukaku insisted, sending out chakra towards his feet. _**Move!**_

"Sorry, Hinata," the redhead muttered, leaving the opened cave and sluggishly making his way towards the forest. He frowned as he walked through it, wondering at the diminished sounds of explosions, screaming and…

_**Move! **_The demon demanded as he abruptly stopped.

"Why?" He questioned, turning back to stare at the strangely silent Konoha. Where was the explosions and the screaming? The damage? Hadn't the fighting been quite distant before? He blinked, his hand twitching as the answer suddenly came to him.

"Hmm, perhaps I underestimated you more than I thought?" The soft voice made Gaara stiffen, his green eyes going wide as everything suddenly slammed back into focus. There was screaming now, smoke in the air, the sounds of fighting and the sounds of dying. Shukaku was shrieking curses at him, telling him to get it together. The boulder that Hinata had placed in front of the cave was crushed into bits and, in its place, a tall man with orange hair stood. Stunned, it took a moment to work his mouth as the genjutsu dropped.

"Who-"

"Juugo, enough." Gaara turned his head, his eyes narrowing as a person he couldn't stand suddenly came into view. There Uchiha Sasuke stood, his eyes locked upon the redhead's form. Behind him stood a redheaded woman with red eyes and glasses and a white and blue haired boy with purple eyes, each flanking the Uchiha though glaring at each other. "Gaara, how pleasant to see you again."

_**Not good, not good, **_Shukaku chanted in the back of Gaara's head, once again releasing small bursts of chakra through his stomach. _**They blew up the boulder and caught you in a trap; I tried to wake you, but you wouldn't stop walking!**_

"You've gotten…bigger," Sasuke continued, staring at him dispassionately. Gaara rolled his eyes, though he felt his heart speed up. Shukaku's curses weren't helping the situation; he knew there was no way that he could possibly outrun anyone, not in his state, but damn if he would go quietly like the demon was urgently whispering.

"Firstly, _Uchiha_, we're not on a first name basis. Secondly, _Uchiha_," he smirked as an annoyed tick started on the girl's face, "stop stating the obvious. Thirdly, _Uchiha_, _no_ _shit."_

"This guy's annoying me," the girl growled.

"He's a sight better than you," the boy chuckled, getting a glare from her.

"Enough, both of you." Sasuke sighed. "We already failed getting one Jinchuuriki, this is our chance to redeem ourselves. Though I admit, I wasn't expecting this to be so easy." Lifting his chin, he turned to the redhead. "Gaara, you're coming with us."

"I don't feel like it." Gaara shifted, turning his eyes to Juugo as the man began to walk towards him. _Do something quick, Shukaku!_

_**I'm trying! **_The demon snapped, a feeling of frustration running through him. _**For now, just watch your back! **_The Jinchuuriki quickly turned his attention behind him again as the tall, orange haired man's chakra spiked.

"You're him," Juugo muttered. "You're the one who killed Kimimaro."

"No," Gaara shook his head, warily stepping away from him. "He died on his own…and good riddance too." Mentally, he chided himself for his mouth, feeling the Shukaku's chakra rushing around him and dashing out as a blow was given to his head. He collapsed at once, succumbing to the pain as his sand worked extra time to ensure his child's safety.

_Where are you, Naruto?_


	11. Chapter 11

**Thanks for the reviews!**

**Note: If you haven't already, kindly reread this fic. It is completely revised and changed from the previous one.**

**To the reviewer who wondered about my AN on Sakura: **I understood exactly what she was doing and no, I don't hate Sakura. If I did then she would have no role in this fic. However, I'm a Hinata fan first and foremost; Sakura heard and acknowledged that she heard Hinata confess to Naruto. Then she goes and plays games with his head and tells him he she loves him. Now, whether she was trying to help him or not, that's a low thing for any woman to do to a man, especially if he would have thought that she really meant it. That's my view and I'm sticking to it; and thank you for reading this story as well. -bows- It's not my intention to start a fight, we few Naruto fans that have matured need to stick together.

**Another Note: As for when we'll see Naruto again: Soon. Very soon. However, we're getting close to the end of this fic. I've got some pretty different endings in mind and have yet to pick one, but this story will definitely (hopefully) be done by the end of February. However, it's my bro's birthday tomorrow so, there will be no update.**

**For anyone wondering, The Joys of Gay Sex is an actual book and I don't own it. I have my own copy though.**

* * *

Pain.

Gaara was quite familiar with this pain. He still remembered it quite vividly from the first time he'd been captured. The gut wrenching wails that hailed from his mouth was of pure agony; he was sure that many thought that it was him was screaming. However, they were wrong. The wails spewing from his throat wasn't from him, it was from the demon they were painstakingly extracting.

From Shukaku.

Gaara's pain stemmed from watching the demon. From watching as something that was a part of him was slowly dragged away from him. The process was even slower than before, more than likely because they'd lost a few members before hand, but the Tanuki wasn't giving up without a fight. The Akatsuki was winning, however, slowly but surely they were winning.

"_Don't give up hope," _Naruto's voice rang through his head. It was one of the first serious conversations the two of them had after becoming a couple. Gaara had been lamenting on the fact of ruining Naruto's dream of becoming the Hokage, wondering if he should have stayed away and allowed the blonde to stay ignorant of his affections. The other Jinchuuriki hadn't liked that in the slightest, despite the remains of the man another council member had sent to assassinate him splayed across the alcove he and Gaara had been chatting near. _"I don't care what people think about us; they're always wrong when it comes to me. I know I'm not much now, but in the future, I'll be strong enough to take care of you._

"_I'll be there, so don't worry; I'll rescue you."_

"Liar." The redhead intoned, letting the sound of screams wash over him. He remembered how he used to revel in such sounds; it did nothing now but disgust him. A weight shifted in his arms, causing him to turn to see the little baby he had picked up the moment he'd landed in the ruins of his own mind. It was a little boy with blonde hair and bright green eyes, with whisker marks and soft chubby cheeks. He had no idea if the child was real or just a figment of his imagination, but he'd taken to it like a lifeline, wrapping it in a piece of his own cloak.

"_You don't like your tattoo?"_

Gaara closed his eyes in annoyance, hating the memories that rushed through him, trying to drown out the sounds of screaming. None of the memories made him happy, just reminded him of what he was missing. He briefly wondered if the other Jinchuuriki went through the same things. "I don't like it when people touch it," he stated, talking with the memory as Naruto disappointedly drew back his hand.

"_That's too bad…I think it looks good on you."_

The baby gurgled in his arms, opening its eyes to stare up at him curiously. "Hello," the redhead stated awkwardly, cradling him closer to his chest. "Awake now?" The baby cooed, his hands going up to grab at his loose hair and getting a sad smile out of him. "This may be the last time I ever get to see anything; aren't you lucky to be the last?" The sounds of screaming started up again, making him wince and close his eyes to it. He didn't like Shukaku, but this slow process was nothing but torture. Not to mention, he stared down at the baby again, not to mention everything else that would be leaving with the Tanuki. Without him, the babies wouldn't be born; normal males can't have children, after all.

"_How can't you like ramen if you've never tried it before?" _Naruto stared at him, irritation leaking through his pores. _"Can't you just give it a try?"_

"Go away, Naruto," Gaara muttered, wincing as his voice cracked at the end of it.

"_Here; take a bite from my fork." _He held it out to his lips_. "Come on, it won't kill you!"_

"_Persistent bastard,"_ his memory whispered fondly, opening his mouth and letting the noodles slide in. The Jinchuuriki closed his eyes, trying to forget such a bittersweet moment. He still remembered that day; it was the first time Naruto had taken him on a real date in Konoha. He had lied about not having ramen before, as he'd wanted the blonde to feed him from his very own fork. He hadn't expected him to actually do it, not with all of the glaring they could both feel on their backs. "You need a name," he stated, turning his attention once more to the quiet creature in his arms. The baby gave him a smile.

"_I've never done it before," _Naruto admitted, scratching at his blushing cheek_. "I, er, know how to with women…I mean; Jiraiya makes me go through his books, but…"_

"_I've never done it before, either," _Gaara pointed out. _"Which is why I brought us some books; you can read this one with me." _He tossed a brown book at him.

"_The Joys of Gay Sex?" _The Konoha Nin flushed, opening the book to a random, illustrated page. _"…Weren't you embarrassed to buy this?"_

"_Not as embarrassed as the man behind the counter when he realized who I was."_

"I'm not a creative person," Gaara admitted, blushing as the memory faded. "You're not real anyways; it's not like you'll care what I call you. So-so I'll call you Naruto. Don't look at me like that," his lips twitched as the baby's face squished. "I need a Naruto right now, so just work with me."

"_Stop it; don't talk about Sasuke like that!" _Naruto growled at him, shaking him by the collar. _"He's a good person; he just needs someone to save him!"_

"_So what? You're just going to abandon me and go rushing off to that bastard again?" _Gaara sneered at the blonde, smacking his hands away from him_. "Are you going to run off every time you hear something about the little shit?"_

"_Someone has to! No, Gaara, don't walk away from me! I'm not finished with you, damn it!"_

"_So help me, Naruto, I'll leave you if you go after him again,"_ he hissed. _"I'll go home and I'll never come back."_

"_Liar!" _The blonde shouted, not running after him like he hoped he would. No, instead the bastard turned to go meet his team at the meeting spot; probably with Hinata on the team as well.

"Well, I guess I did lie in a way," Gaara mused, shifting baby Naruto as he managed to get a hold of his hair. "I left him that day, you know? I went home and took on as many missions as I could just to forget about him. And do you know what your father did? He paid for one of the missions and tricked me into going out to meet him; then he forced me on a date, just like he did when we first got together."

"Gaabaa!"

"That's right; he is an idiot, isn't he?" Gaara nodded to the child, his lips twitching up. "But I was just as much of a fool for taking him back so quickly. I should have made him kill Sasuke, and then I wouldn't be in this predicament." He gave a wide gesture with his free arm, tilting Naruto up and showing him the ruins of Shukaku's failing mind. His eyes narrowed as he noticed a small black bird in the distance and he leaned forward; he'd never seen that before.

"…So that's where you are…" The voice whispered through the air, sounding far too close for comfort. Gaara stiffened, turning his eyes down to Naruto only to drop the child in shock. No, not a child…Slowly, he picked up the little doll again, wondering if he was going crazy as the screams of Shukaku once again picked up.

"Have you left me again, Naruto?"

* * *

Hinata gasped, fear gripping her as Sakura brought her back from near death. She did it; she had actually confessed her feelings to Naruto, but, she also felt a bit of guilt. She didn't want a conflict to come between her and Gaara; she wasn't one to fight over someone, even if she did see him first. Gaara…she would have to tell him that she had confessed to his partner.

He was going to kill her.

"Why are you laughing, Hinata?" Sakura wondered, helping her sit up. The Hyuuga shook her head, blushing as she realized that everyone was staring at her.

"I finally confessed to Naruto; now Gaara is going to kill me." She put a hand to her lips, trying to stem the flow of guilty laughter. She was hoping to die in that fight; she hadn't been expecting to come back to life. "Oh, why did you bring me back, Sakura?" The pink haired girl looked at her in surprise as she let a few tears fall. He was really going to kill her.

"Are you okay, Hinata?" She shrugged off the hands as she stood on her own. Normally, she wouldn't have shrugged off help, but she had to make sure Gaara was okay. For Naruto's sake, for the kid's sake.

For her sake.

"Byakugan!" The chakra focused in her eyes and she strained them farther than she ever had before, looking around in worry for the pregnant Jinchuuriki. Her eyes once again began to tear at the sight of the demolished Konoha, even as she quickly bypassed the destruction in her search. But when her eyes found the area she left him in, nothing was there. Nothing was there… "Gaara's gone!" The shout caused the others to stare at her, confused for a moment, before everyone paled.

"We have to tell Naruto-"

"No!" Sakura shook her head frantically. "If he finds out, it'll distract him from Pein; we can't do that to him."

"Then we'll just have to-Hinata??" The purple haired girl dashed off in the middle of their conversation, not bothering to wait and see what they would decide. Gaara was pregnant and alone, gone! If it was Akatsuki, and she really prayed it wasn't, then they would waste no time in extracting his demon. That would kill Gaara, the kids and drive Naruto insane. Not to mention, she smiled, she had wanted to see little Naruto's running around ever since Gaara had told her about his dream.

"Hinata!" The voice nearly threw her off balance as she turned her attention to the side. Her eyes widened as Gaara's family came into view, her own teammates beside them. Kiba gave her a grim smile, quickly coming up beside her with Akamaru at his side. "Do you know where Gaara is?"

"I'm heading to where he was last at right now."

"Good. Akamaru, when we get there scent him out!"

"Arf!" Hinata smiled, not even bothering to ask how they knew what was going on; she knew that Shino kept a bug in his teammate's hair. It was disgusting, especially when it crawled around, but it let him know right away when someone was in danger. Kankuro and Kiba had been spending time together, their friendship becoming stronger over the days together, and Temari was never far from Kankuro on any given day in the past months. Quickly, she turned her attention back to the problems ahead, leading the newly formed team to where she had last hidden Gaara. Once there, Akamaru began to growl.

"What's he saying?" Kankuro questioned anxiously.

"He smells Sasuke," Kiba admitted quietly. "But, there's also the scent of Shukaku; it's everywhere."

"My bugs are telling me that Shukaku left a chakra trail," Shino stated, taking the bugs back into his sleeves as Temari turned to him.

"Lead the way!" They quickly reformed with Shino taking the lead, the Auburame silent in his headship. Hinata followed behind him without a word, her thoughts only on the state of Gaara and wondering if Naruto would ever forgive her for letting him get taken away. Even worse would be the state of Sasuke, but he'd forfeited his life the moment he'd touched the one thing Naruto held higher than him. If Gaara died…she shuddered, remembering the power of the nine-tails Naruto had temporarily released. If Gaara died then Naruto would go on a rampage. Pein talked about a never ending cycle of hatred, Naruto would be the one to end it.

If that came at the result of everyone's death was now in her hands.

_Oh, Gaara, please be okay…_


End file.
